Meeting with utility company Unikom from Osijek | Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund

18.08.2021.

Director of the Fund Siniša Kukić and his colleagues held a meeting today with the representatives of Unikom, the utility company from Osijek, headed by the company’s director, Mario Turalija. During the meeting they presented the results of waste management in Osijek, while the Fund introduced the possibilities for financing future projects.

“The Fund is always willing to assist in the promotion of environmental protection and energy efficiency projects. The goals of energy savings and environmental protection coincide in many aspects, especially if we scrutinise the European Green Deal, which is the direction we have to consider. Osijek is one of the models of good practice in forming the local waste management system. I’m glad to see that you’ll continue with ambitious plans, and I look forward to our future cooperation,” said Director of the Fund Siniša Kukić.

Osijek started with the separate waste collection almost 10 years ago, and currently around 38% of the separately collected waste is recycled. Mario Turalija, the general manager of Unikom, said that they were striving to achieve the goals set out by the EU. “We are also planning to build the sorting plant and acquire the baling presses for paper, tin cans and plastics, and underground containers. We want to provide a quality service to our citizens, and at the same time to achieve the circular economy goals ,” he concluded.

For years the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund has been financing the necessary infrastructure for different activities aiming to improve the efficiency of the waste management system. As part of the EU project worth HRK 350 million, more than 2 million bins and containers have been procured and distributed, with five national public calls worth more than 100 million kunas still open. The Fund is co-financing the remediation of unregulated dumpsites, transport of waste from the islands to the mainland, and the purchase of municipal equipment such as garden and home composters, underground and semi-underground containers, and containers for separately collecting household oils. In addition, resources are also available for the construction of civic amenity sites, and the call was launched for the units of local self-government to survey the interest in the improvement and extension of waste recycling capacities at local level.

During the meeting the plan was announced to establish a reuse centre and an education centre in Osijek, which will round out the waste management system. Two projects are currently in progress that are financed from the European Union, and which are controlled and monitored by the Fund’s Intermediate Body level 2. One is the project of improving the existing and setting up new capacities for accommodating and providing care to the animals in the rescue centre, and purchase of the municipal vehicle for the separate collection of plastics.
The project of remediation of landfill Lončarica Velika is under way, which should have sufficient capacities until the Waste Management Centre Orlovnjak becomes operational, and in the discussion the participants also talked about bulky waste and recycling of construction waste, including the wase containing asbestos.

Apart from current topics, the discussion also included future plans and financing options under the National Recovery Plan, as well as EU goals for the future programming period. It was concluded that the focus continues to be on everything contributing to sustainability and green infrastructure, meaning different possibilities for co-financing will be available in the upcoming period.